Treat Yo-self!

“I feel stunning and entrancing. I feel like running and dancing for joy!” –Maria, West Side Story

I started my girlish obsession with makeup when I was very little. I would rummage through my mom’s collection of Mary Kay, put on my favorite dress up gown (either my gold Belle dress or pink Meg dress), slip into my mom’s too-big high heels, layer on my Mardi Gras beads, and strut through the house like it was my very own catwalk. As young girls, that’s how we begin to discover who we truly are. We discover who we want to be, and who we want to be soon becomes who we ARE.

A few weeks ago, I took part in a Mary Kay makeover day with my momma. It was so much fun, and it was a great way to kick off my Spring Break! What I love about Mary Kay is that it was specifically designed for women to treat themselves, to take a moment and feel truly beautiful. We spent the morning trying out face cleansers, foundation, eye shadow, and lipstick. Makeup is meant to enhance the natural beauty you have, not to mold your face like clay until you don’t look anything like yourself.

Everyone knows that working out, eating right, and maintaining a positive attitude can make you feel good, but there’s one part system that’s often overlooked: you skin regimen. If you have good, healthy skin, you’ll have an easier time with your makeup. A few years ago, my mom bought a humidifier to put in the living room, and this year, she got one for me to have in my room. Ever since then, I’ve noticed that there are less dry patches on my skin and less static in my hair. But even if you have a humidifier, you aren’t protected from dryness that can penetrate your skin.

I use Gold Bond Ultimate: daily moisturizing with Vitamin E all over my body from my feet (when my feet are dry and cracked, I use a lot of lotion and put on thick, cotton socks, and in half an hour, they are feeling a smooth as a flower petal bathing in milk) to my elbows. It’s the only lotion I use, and the best part is that it doesn’t have a harsh smell.

Another key to having good skin is to cleanse it properly, especially when it comes to your face. I use the Mary Kay Botanical Effects face product line. The consultants at the makeover told me that if my skin wasn’t getting better (meaning the lessening of imperfections) then I wasn’t using the right products. I had used their face wash before, but I had strayed and began using a prescription cleanser that my brother refused to use and an apricot scrub. No matter how often I washed or how hard I scrubbed, my face would still break out and my Rosacea would still flare. The consultants taught me a routine to do every night before bed:

• Use a clean, warm washcloth to get my face wet
• Use a dime-sized amount of the cleanser and rub small circles around my face
•  Use the same washcloth, or my hands, to rinse off the soap
•  If there is still eye makeup that didn’t come off, I put a few drops of the Revlon oil-free eye makeup remover onto a Q-tip to prevent raccoon eyes from taking over
•  2-3 times a week, I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub to help prevent breakouts and blackheads
•  And if I am starting to break out, I use a good acne medicine to fight the unwanted visitor
• To finish, I use a quarter-sized amount of moisturizer

Ever since, my skin has gotten noticeably better, and I even feel comfortable enough to go to school without a trace of makeup on. And when I do, I use the Botanical Effects face mist to wipe away any dirt or other kinds of gross-ness. On days that I’m having a really bad skin day, or just feel like mixing it up a little, I’ll use the Botanical Effects face mask. After 20 minutes, my skin is softer and smoother, with no imperfection to be found.

Like most girls, I love summer and being tan… Well, as tan as I can be. I have EXTREMELY fair skin. No matter how much or how often I put sunscreen on, I burn like an ant being tortured by a kid with a magnifying glass. In fact, I went to the beach last summer for 2 days, put on sunscreen every 30 minutes, and got burned over every inch of my body. Literally. I was burned on my nose, my shoulders, my knees, the tops of my feet, and the back of my legs. I had a 2^nd-degree burn on my chest. My red-haired, even fairer-skin-than-I barely got sun kissed. I couldn’t move for 2 days. It’s a fact of life that I’m slowly learning to live with. Rosacea brings all of my skin’s pigment up higher, therefore allowing me to burn easier. It’s not all bad though, it turns into a pretty awesome tan. But I implore you, ladies and gents, KNOW YOUR BODY! If you seen a mark on your body that wasn’t there before, get it checked out IMMEDIATELY! Skin cancer is a really dangerous thing, y’all! It’s important to always wear sunscreen, even if it’s 10 below outside. You can find makeup that has SPF, but something you wouldn’t think to look for SPF in is lip balm. Trust me; you do NOT want sunburned lips. And once you come out of the sun, use aloe vera to hydrate your skin. If you want to look tan without the risk of skin cancer or wrinkles, then I suggest using a gradual tanning lotion. Jergens Natural Glow +firming daily moisturizer for fair to medium skin is what I use, and I even see a difference after one use!

  

As the title of this entry so eloquently states, feeling good in your skin means treating yourself every so often. Something that I do every day to treat myself is taking Biotin, a vitamin that improves skin health and hair and nail growth. Another way to treat yourself is just to simply relax. I know that we all have busy schedules and we’re so busy making sure that everyone else is taken care of that we forget the most important person; ourselves. Even if it’s for five minutes, find some way to help yourself relax. Have laundry to do? Turn on your favorite movie or catch up the latest episode of Game of Thrones to take your mind off of the tedious work of folding shirts. Have to study for an exam? Read away while you soak in the bathtub. Make sure you use something in the water to make you feel even better such as oatmeal and milk, bath salts, or just using your body wash as bubble bath. But I do recommend finding some way to keep it from falling into the water. Worried about all of the things you have to get done tomorrow? Get yourself some candles, scented or not, light them, and let them create a peaceful atmosphere where you can read that book you’ve been telling yourself to start since last year or by doing some yoga.

If you feel good on the inside, you’ll look good on the outside. If you look good on the outside, you’ll feel good on the inside. So go ahead, treat yo-self!